Multiple people were injured, one critically, in a shooting Thursday at Florida State University, prompting a campus-wide shelter-in-place order.
FSU issued an alert shortly after noon telling individuals on its Tallahassee campus to “shelter in place” due to an “active shooter call at the Student Union.”
Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare confirmed to NPR via email that it had received six patients from the incident. “[O]ne in critical condition and the rest in serious condition.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis addressed the situation on X, saying, “Our prayers are with our FSU family, and state law enforcement is actively responding.”
PRAYERS FOR FSU: Gov. Ron DeSantis released a statement offering support to the FSU community after Thursday’s shooting. Read more: https://t.co/if1g71ftTn pic.twitter.com/VI93yYnyuq
— WFLA NEWS (@WFLA) April 17, 2025
President Donald Trump, speaking at the White House, stated he had been briefed on the shooting. “It’s a horrible thing. It’s horrible that things like this take place,” Trump said.
Reid Seybold, an FSU senior, recounted being in class when the shooting occurred. He described how someone barricaded the door until police arrived to escort everyone out.
“I’m honestly terrified,” Seybold said, expressing a feeling of helplessness. He also expressed concern for friends elsewhere on campus, but had since heard that they were safe.
Another student called out DeSantis and Trump’s lack of leadership and urged the men to take action against the “issues that just keep going on.”
“I’m gonna call on Governor Ron DeSantis [and] Donald Trump. This stuff keeps going on. We’re praying every day. Praying is good. Spirituality is good. But prayers don’t do much. It’s good for the soul, but is this still happening? I think it is. So we need to make some gun reforms.”
On the scene at the FSU shooting this Florida State University student calls out Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis:
“I’m gonna call on Governor Ron DeSantis [and] Donald Trump. This stuff keeps going on. We’re praying every day. Praying is good. Spirituality is good. But prayers… pic.twitter.com/YoX7Gs1O4G
— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) April 17, 2025
FSU Shooter captured on camera shooting at victims. There also appears to be a victim on the ground beside him at the start of the video. pic.twitter.com/3Fesu10s0M
— The Space Coast Rocket (@CoastRocket) April 17, 2025
The university advised students to avoid the Tallahassee campus and announced the cancellation of all “classes and business operations” through Friday. Later, FSU extended the cancellations to include all “athletics home events” through Sunday.
This is not the first shooting incident at the university. In 2014, a gunman opened fire in the campus library, wounding three people before being killed by police.
Founded in 1851, Florida State University has an enrollment of over 44,000 students and employs approximately 16,000 faculty and staff members.
This is a developing story, and more information will be provided as it becomes available.
RELATED CONTENT: 20-Year-Old Man Arrested After Money Dispute Leads To Alleged Double Murder
